1968 - Eric Clapton announces the breakup of the supergroup Cream, currently finishing up its last tour. Cream's short lifespan, however, was in hindsight unsurprising given the considerable talents, ambitions, and egos of each of the bandmembers. Clapton, in particular, was tired of blowing away listeners with sheer power and wanted to explore more subtle directions.
Cream were the first top group to truly exploit the power trio format, in the process laying the foundation for much blues-rock and hard rock of the 1960s and 1970s.
1972 - Harry Nilsson's, Son of Schmilsson, was released. Nilsson was being pressured to produce a follow-up album similar to his 1971 breakthrough, Nilsson Schmilsson, but instead, he created a more eccentric work. The record careens all over the place, bouncing from one idea to another, punctuated with B-horror movie sound effects, bizarre humor, profanity, and belches. There are song parodies, seemingly straight piano ballads, vulgar hard rock, lovely love songs, and a cheerful singalong with retirees at an old folks home. Session musicians on the album included Peter Frampton, Ringo Starr (credited as Richie Snare) and George Harrison (credited as George Harrysong).
1986 - Grateful Dead leader Jerry Garcia goes into a diabetic coma, forcing the band to cancel the rest of their tour. He's in the coma for five days, and when he comes to, he has to learn how to walk and talk again. After months of rehab, he gets his faculties back and in December, and is once again on stage with his band. (Photo credit should read ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)
2008 - By simply tapping an app button on an iPhone, music fans could finally get an answer to the timeless question, "What's that song?" Shazam's free smartphone app is the first music recognition service of its kind - using a phone's microphone to listen to any song being played publicly - like in a restaurant, at a friend's house, or on TV - and identify it. And it actually works.
Birthdays:
Mavis Staples is 84. Whether it's a 1950s side with the Staple Singers, or a solo cut recorded over half-a-century later, Mavis' voice is instantly identifiable, likely to lift the spirit and inspire anyone within earshot. Mavis came up with her familial group, the Staple Singers. Led by her father, Roebuck "Pops" Staples, they balanced gospel and secular music like no one before or after them, and in the process became both stars and respected Civil Rights activists.
In the 2000s, she took full flight on her own with a spirited series of LPs highlighted by You Are Not Alone, which crowned Billboard's gospel chart and won the 2010 Grammy award for Best Americana Album.
Arlo Guthrie is 76. Is it possible to be a one-hit wonder three times?
There is "The City of New Orleans," Guthrie's only Top 40 hit. There is also "Coming into Los Angeles," which Guthrie sang at the legendary Woodstock music festival, and which featured prominently in both the Woodstock movie and multi-platinum soundtrack album. And there is "Alice's Restaurant Massacree," the comic-monologue-in-song that gave him his initial fame and took up the first side of his debut LP, the million-selling Alice's Restaurant.
Whether these successful tracks make him a one-, two-, or three-hit wonder, they were arguably both flukes in a performing career that was still going strong a full 40 years after Guthrie first gained national recognition and facilitators of that career.
Greg Kihn is 74. One of the first artists signed to Matthew Kaufman's now-legendary Beserkley Records. Along with Jonathan Richman, Earthquake, and the Rubinoos, Kihn helped to carve the label's sound -- melodic pop with a strong '60s pop sensibility -- a refreshing alternative to the bloated prog rock of the time.
In 1981, he earned his first bona fide hit with the Top 20 single "The Breakup Song (They Don't Write 'Em)," from the Rockihnroll album. He scored his biggest hit with 1983's "Jeopardy" (number two) from the Kihnspiracy album.
Bela Fleck is 65. Widely acknowledged as one of the world's most innovative and technically proficient banjo players. Fleck has shared Grammy wins with Asleep at the Wheel, and has been nominated in more categories than any other musician, namely country, pop, jazz, bluegrass, classical, folk, spoken word, composition, and arranging.
On This Day In Music History was sourced from This Day in Music, Allmusic, Song Facts and Wikipedia.
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